Wheel



Sept. 18,1923.

C. W. FULTON WHEEL Filed Jan. 3, 1922 Patented Sept. 18, 192.3.

CHARLES WILLIAM FULTON, 0

To (all whom it 712 Be it known r nrsnorsaiees, nnan GLASGOW, SGOTLAND.

WHEEL;

Application filed January 3, 1922. Serial 1%. 526,739.

my concern:

that 1, CHARLES WILLIAM FULToN, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an i n at Bishopbriggs, near ulasgow, have invented a certa n new and residing Scotland,

d Ireland, and

useful Improvement in hesis, of which the following is The object of a specification. this invention is ;0 provide wheel for road vehicles and the like which will prevent wheel.

Many previous to produce such a wheel but 7 all. have proved unsuccessful over a long period of trial,

the vibration set up due to inequalities of the road transmitted to thehub surface from being and the axle of the attempts have been made most, if not due, in most cases, to the failure of the flexible medium or media employed to give elasticity rial or fatigue.

The present the necessary condition of through over-strain otthe mateinvention contemplates the production ot'such a wheel as will overcome this difficulty by imposing upon the elastic medium or material will not cause tinned use.

' With previous only such stresses as it to deterroratewith conattempts to produce satisfactory wheel in which there was used as the flexible medium metal such as steel in the "form of sp molecules from rings, the ditiiculty was to get sutlicient length 0t metal to prevent the being subjected .to excessive stress under workingconditions.

The wheel according to the present invention is composedof two main structures,

first, a portion directly connected to .tl e

hub. hereinafter referred to as the "rigid portion. and, second, a portion not directly so connected, hereinatter referred to as the floating portion.

lar and is itself a to say, is rigid The rigid portion iscircurigid structure. that is in so far as it is analogous to any ordinary wheel which itself is not constructed The floating clrcular but is a limited stability or elasticity. The the floating po to give elasticity;

portion when unloaded is constructed purposely with a certain degree of elasticity or flexibility of rtion is relied on for ab sorption of the inequalities of the road surface, whereby to prevent transmission of shock to the hub axle of'the wheel.

floating portion ible ring. Th

The may be regarded as a fiex e rigid portion .or wheel then sprung into circular form which Fig. l

proper rides on the floating portion, the load coming on the uppermost portion of the flexible ring.

In short, the invention riding on a flexible ring.

provides a wheel just contacting under no-load conditions.

. In the wheel of the present invention the is preferred to ccnstructthe floating 7 such diameter as approxi- 7. vmatel to fit all round the floatlng portion,

metallic spring ringer rings is or are unitary member is maintained stable inits own plane, thus rendering it practicable to carry the tire member entirely. "tree from contact withv the sides of the flanges or other part of the central portion save where bevelled lateral faces engage the inclined portions of the flanges, the inclination 'oi the engaging iaces beingsuch thatthe trictional' drag Ibetween the flanges and the tire with therubbermass, whereby the t're member exceeds the frictional drag between the tire'member andtheroad. V

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in is an elevation, partly in sec tion, andFi'g. 2 a (llillllQfL'lC section. i The wheel shown comprises two main structures, i. e.,' a rigidportion 1 and a floating portion 9 The rigid portion is circular and the floating portion when unloaded 1S also circular but is constructed with a certain degree of elasticity so-as to constltute a flexible ring whereon the rigid portion rides, the load coming on the uppermost portion of the ring. 7

Thefloating portion comprises a rubber annulus to which are secured or in which are embedded spring steel rings 4 which are tempered when flat and then sprung into circular form.. In the construction shown these rings are of varying widths, thus ac commodating them to the outwardly tapering form of the tire member 2. Between the rigid portion 1 and the'elastic floating por tion or tire member 2 is a considerable space permitting said elastic floating portion or tire member to yield inwardly. F0 "med on or secured to the portion 1 are flanges 5 terminating at their peripheries in inturned lips 6 which engage bevelled surfaces 7 on the outwardly tapered tire portion 2. The flanges 5 are punched into spokes and the lips 6 are corrugated so as to provide for effective or non-slipping driving engagement between the member 1 and the member 2 when the wheel is used as a driving wheel. The relative measurements of the flanges and the member 2 are such that the bevelled surfaces 7 are in contact with the lips 6 when the wheel is not under load.

It will be seen that the flanges 5 and the lips 6 formed thereon afl ord holding elements on which hangs a resilient tire-forming structure constituted by the member 2 which is circular when unloaded but is capa ble of being formed under load into approximately an ellipse, freedom being afforded for further deflection under the influence of road shock. The outer inclined portions or lips 6 of the flanges 5 engage the bevelled faces 7 of the outwardly tapered tire 2, so that these parts afford a driving connection between the rigid member 1 and the tire member 2, the latter being free to yield inwardly within the channel or space between the innermost ring 4 and the rigid portion 1 of the wheel. I

It will also be seen that the member 2 provides a spring track to which the driving eflort is transmitted at the upper side by the lips 6 riding thereon.

I claim l. A wheel consisting of a central portion comprising a rigid body member and flanges carried by and extending radially beyond said body member; and a floating elastic rubber tire member disposed between said flanges and provided with embedded steel rings of Varying widths, said tire member being separated radially from said rigid body member, said flanges having corrugat ed peripheral portions, inturncd towards each other, to engage said tire member to hold itin driving engagement with said rigid body member. I

2. A wheel consisting of. a central portion comprising a rigid body memberand flanges carried by and extending'radially beyond said body member; and a floating elastic rubber tire member disposed between said flanges and provided with embedded steel rings, said tire member being separated radially from said rigid body member", said flanges having corrugated peripheral portions, inturned towards each other, to engage said tire member to hold it in driving engagement with said rigid body member, said flanges being punched out or slotted to form spokes.

A wheel consisting of a central comprising a rigid body member carried by and extending radially beyond said body member, said flanges affording a channel the outer portions of said flanges portion and flanges being inclined inwardly towards'each other.

a floating elastic tire member disposed be tween said flanges and having bevelled faces engaged by the inclined portions of said flanges, and concentric rings of unequal diameter, the ring of greater diameter be ing embedded in said tire member, andv a ring of less diameter lining the inner face of said tire member, said tire member being circular when unloaded and. being movable relatively to said channel in such wise that, when loaded, it is deformed into approximately an ellipse.

4. A wheel consisting of a central portion comprising a rigid body member and flanges carried by and extending radially beyond said body member, said flanges affording a channel the outer portions oi: said flanges being inclined inwardly towards each other, a floating elastic tire member disposed between said flanges and having bevelled faces engaged by theinclined portions of said flanges, and spring rings embedded in said tire member, said rings width, the narrower ring being nearer the being-of unequal 7 tread than the wider ring, said tire member being circular when unloaded and being movable relatively to said channel in such wise that, when loaded, it is deformedinto approximately an ellipse.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES WILLIAM FULTON. Witnesses:

ISABEL RoLLo, MAY Ross.

have signed my 

